This invention relates to new and unique packaging for a consumer product such as a mouthguard. While the particular consumer product for which the disclosed embodiment of the invention will be hereinafter described is a mouthguard, it is to be understood that the inventive principles are applicable to many other consumer products.
Mouthguards are typically used in athletic activities, contact sports in particular, and are intended to protect the teeth and surrounding facial bone structure. A typical mouthguard has a generally U-shaped construction, and where it is intended for use in playing football, it also includes an integral strap that allows for tethering to the facebar of a football helmet. The mouthguard and its integral tether are fabricated by molding techniques, and where mouthguards are manufactured on a mass production basis for merchandising in commerce, it is important that the mouthguards be suitably packaged. Such packaging must provide suitable sealing of the mouthguard to keep it unexposed to the outside environment, and the packaging must provide certain information about the product. These attributes are especially desirable where the mouthguards are to be sold in retail outlets, such as in the sporting goods departments of department stores.
The disclosed embodiment of the present invention relates to mouthguard packaging and illustrates a number of useful features. Perhaps most importantly, it is constructed to provide the prospective purchaser with assurance that the packaging has not been tampered with. It also provides a compact enclosure for the mouthguard, yet one which is transparent so that the mouthguard can be seen by the prospective purchaser. The packaging further comprises a paperboard carrier for the transparent mouthguard enclosure. The carrier entraps the mouthguard enclosure and serves to convey information about the mouthguard. The information is printed onto the carrier, and the carrier has a unique arrangement by which information is presented. Information about the mouthguard features is presented on one side of the carrier, and warranty information is presented on the other. The warranty information is arranged to be enclosed by folding a flap of the carrier back against the carrier and sealing the perimeter of the flap to the carrier. In this way the warranty registration card and the specifics of the warranty cannot be defaced or altered before purchase. This flap, when folded back against the carrier, overlaps an opposing flap that has been folded back against the carrier to entrap the transparent enclosure. Thus tampering with the product is intended to be self-evident from examination of the packaging. The mouthguard enclosure is also constructed in a unique way to receive the mouthguard.
The foregoing features, advantages, and benefits of the invention, along with additional ones, will be seen in the ensuing description and claims which should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings disclose a preferred embodiment of the invention according to the best mode contemplated at the present time for carrying out the invention.